The Dread You Feel
by ahs.xcx
Summary: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Something is coming for the Fae. As a result, Bo might not get the chance to fix what she's damaged. Doccubus.
1. A Slow Descent

Some details about this story that might be helpful: First, The Wanderer has a different purpose here than on the show. Two, I left out Tamsin's developing feelings for Bo because that plot line seemed a bit forced to me. Everything else matches the show up to the end of the Dawning, where this story begins.

* * *

**1. A Slow Descent**

"I'm tired,

cynical and broken, but wiser.

Heavy with a sense of resentment,

But I used to be so much different.

I used to have so much faith.

When I started,

You knew I always meant it"

Hands In The Sky (Big Shot) by Straylight Run

...

Lauren sat comfortably on the couch in her apartment, bottle of scotch on the coffee table and an empty glass in her hand. She had had three drinks in the last hour and was currently nursing her fourth. She hadn't actually planned on drinking tonight, but after coming home from the lab to her empty apartment, she had little else to do to distract herself from thinking about Bo and how she was most likely still with Dyson.

She had expected that, but Lauren had also expected Bo to at least acknowledge her existence. Bo hadn't even managed that, though. Not once. So when the image of a beaming Bo kneeling over a freshly revived Dyson had popped into her head and refused to fade, she gave in and broke out a bottle of scotch. She had been okay at work, losing herself in as much lab work as she could find.

But now that she was at home with nothing else that needed to be done, her brain had little to focus on other than the past couple of months and all of its ups and downs. She thought about Hale and his new role as the Ash. She had been relieved when he was given the position. Then he surprised her, stunned her really, with his cold treatment of her. He had acted just like the past Ash, speaking to her as if she were below him. It had hurt her more than it had angered her since she had thought them to be friends.

Apparently that wasn't the case. Then there was the way everyone treated her just because she happened to be a human. She was used to feeling like a freak, she had been treated like one for the majority of her life. But she thought that she had found a place with Bo and her little group. She wasn't anyone's best friend, but she had belonged.

That too had fallen apart like everything else seemed to these past few months. Even Trick, who Lauren had regarded as a sort of kindred spirit due to their shared passion for knowledge, had been putting less and less effort into keeping up the appearance that he had any sort of respect for her relationship with his granddaughter.

Bo's face flashed in her mind. She missed the succubus dearly. It felt like their relationship had fallen apart just as it had come together. Bo's hunger had began to grow more consuming by the day, Dyson had gotten his love back, Tamsin picked at every insecurity she had, and it felt like everyone within a fifty mile radius had something to say about fae-human relationships. Her short lifespan and inability to biologically sustain a succubus had been thrown in her face more times than she could count. She felt like a punching bag and Bo was never around anymore to ease any of the blows.

Finishing the glass in her hand, she sighed softly. There had been a time when Lauren had mastered the art of not feeling anything at all. Compartmentalizing was what she did best, other than her job. It had proven to be a vital skill for her. The first couple of years working for the Ash had been hard, if not brutal. She hadn't yet earned the minimal amount of respect that she had now, and her romantic feelings for Nadia had still been strong enough to render her heartbroken about her illness. And through it all, the fae never let her forget that she was far, far beneath them. The sheer disregard for her life was nauseating and the only way she could deal with it was to disassociate from it altogether.

The first person to get through to Lauren had been Bo. She had been enamored with Bo since their first meeting. She felt drawn to the succubus. When they had started officially dating, Lauren was happier than she had been in years. And it had gone great at first. They were happy. For just a moment, Lauren felt at peace.

Then the Dawning happened and everything gradually fell apart. Lauren couldn't help but smile slightly. As destructive to her life as the entire process had been, she was immeasurably proud of Bo. She had survived her Dawning despite being a mere baby in fae years, an accomplishment that was completely unprecedented. Despite the mess Bo had made of their relationship, she was still the most remarkable person Lauren had ever met, human or fae. Lauren sipped her scotch and relaxed into the couch. She leaned her head on the back of the couch and let her eyes drift shut. It wasn't even a minute later that her phone lit up and began vibrating on the far end of the coffee table, about a foot away from the scotch.

She sat up slightly and glanced at the screen.

Bo.

"Fuck," She swore.

Lauren just stared at it, unmoving. She really didn't want to answer it. She wasn't in the mood to talk to her girlfriend and pretend to be happy when she wasn't. She had done enough of that lately. The image of Bo and Dyson after the Dawning drifted through her brain again, subtly taunting her. Bo had looked so damn happy. Lauren never thought that Bo being happy could make her feel so hollow, but here she was.

The worst part was that she didn't even know anymore if Bo's feelings for the wolf were platonic or romantic. And she hated it. It made her chest feel heavy. Lauren wanted to believe with all of her heart that Bo was as invested in her as she herself was in Bo. But the last few months had been hard, and after years with the fae her sense of self-worth was minuscule at best. Bo had just been so absent lately, most notably from Lauren's award ceremony. She sipped her scotch.

Bo was always busy with someone else preparing for her Dawning. Always with Dyson or Trick. Or even Tamsin. And when she _was_ around, Lauren felt like Bo was on a completely different wavelength.

Her chest felt heavy again.

She glanced back at her phone and saw that she had one missed call. She let out a relieved sigh. She didn't think she could handle talking to Bo. And definitely not while she was drinking. She had left her girlfriend at Dyson's bedside yesterday night and figured she was still there. It had taken everything in her not to break down right there at the looks of utter affection Bo had been giving the wolf. She hadn't let herself cry until she had gotten back to her apartment. She was pulled from her thoughts by her phone vibrating again. Bo's name flashed across the screen. Lauren reached across the coffee table to turn it off.

Bo was probably just calling to check on her. Whatever it was, Lauren didn't want to deal with it tonight. She sipped the last of her drink slowly for another ten minutes until the scotch had finally made her sleepy. She yawned, more than ready to collapse into her bed. Lauren moved to put the cap back on the scotch when she heard a soft knocking on her door. She looked up and cocked an eyebrow.

The knocking continued, growing a bit louder. It sounded hesitant, she noticed. Like whoever was behind the door was nervous. She was slowly making her way to the door to look through the peephole when she heard a muffled voice drift through the door.

"Lauren? It's...it's Bo."

Lauren stopped moving and sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"_Fuck._"

**...**

"Sup, Succubabe?"

Bo, who was sitting on the couch staring intently at her phone, looked up to see Kenzi standing at the bottom of the stairs freshly showered, hair still wet. She was in a simple black t-shirt and skull pajama pants.

"Hey." She smiled at her friend.

The two had gotten back to the crack shack a few hours ago after spending the entire night and most of the day with Dyson. Bo didn't really see the need for the extensive amount of bonding, but Kenzi had been adamant that they spend time with him after his close call.

_"D-man almost got put down in that episode of The Twilight Zone we're calling 'Bo's Dawning'. Shots are mandatory."_

Trick had disagreed however, gently advising them all to take it easy. Not wanting to leave the comfort of the Dal, the trio had foregone the alcohol, much to Kenzi's disappointment.

"I should be wasted right now," Kenzi complained. she plopped down on the end of the couch sighing dramatically. She lazily turned her head toward Bo.

"So whatcha doin'?" She asked Bo who looked up from her phone trying to look casual.

"Nothing. I'm not doing anything." She coughed awkwardly. Kenzi narrowed her eyes at her.

"What are you hiding?" She asked, voice laced with suspicion. Bo considered lying.

_It'd be better than having to admit that I'm fucking up my relationship_, she thought.

"Nothing, mom." She tried to ease the tension. She smiled at Kenzi trying to reassure her.

"Okay, first of all, stop smiling at me like that. It's Jigsaw creepy. And second, tell me what's eatin' ya. Mama Kenz can help."

Bo briefly considered sticking to her guns, but decided that it was kind of pointless. She needed to talk about it sometime, and Kenzi could actually be really wise when she wanted to be. That is, if you could identify the good advice amongst the repeatedly inserted instructions to 'just get shitfaced'.

"It's Lauren. I've been kind of a...okay no. I've been a totally crappy girlfriend for the past couple of months. It's just with the Dawning and everything...I've been sort of...absent. I want to talk to her and apologize but I'm terrified. What if she's really pissed? Or what if she breaks up with me?" Bo spoke quickly and couldn't hide her anxiety if she tried.

_I'm a succubus that can't even talk to her girlfriend. Nice. _She chided herself. She looked at Kenzi who had a knowing look on her face.

"Aw, Bo Bo. Just talk to her. Tell her that you know you suck at coupledom and you know you've been sort of really self centered lately and that you literally CAN NOT keep it in your pants and-"

"Hey! Message received, okay? I suck." Bo looked a bit stricken by Kenzi's words, and the smaller girl noticed. She sighed.

"Look, Bo, I get it. You've been distracted by this whole Dawning shindig. But that doesn't make the way you've treated us- I mean her, okay. It's gonna take more than your puppy dog eyes and some bangin' to fix this." Kenzi hadn't meant to insert her own feelings into the conversation, but she was on a roll and it felt good to have an actual conversation with Bo after so much time. She just hoped Bo didn't notice her slip up. She had no such luck.

"You said 'us'. I've messed up with you too, haven't I?"

_So much for that_, Kenzi thought.

Bo looked more vulnerable than Kenzi had ever seen her.

Sighing gently, she tried to ease her friend's guilt.

"Bo...I love you, okay? But I'm hurt and it sucks that you kinda forgot about me because you almost Fae-volved into Pikachu's cousin or whatever-"

Bo cut in with a small smile on her face,

"I'm not a Pokemon, Kenz." Kenzi ignored her.

"-but I get it. You just lost yourself for a minute."

Bo blinked a few times to try to stop the tears that were forming in her eyes.

_I really, really suck._ She thought to herself.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you. It's been hard and I've been busy but you're right. It doesn't make any of it okay. I've been pretty shitty to you and Lauren. You totally have the right to be mad at me," Bo stopped and wiped a stray tear from her face.

"Crap, Kenzi. I'm just...I'm really, really sorry."

Kenzi's eyes softened a bit at Bo's heartfelt apology. She sniffled a bit and punched Bo on the shoulder half heartedly.

"It's okay, ya Succubum. You'll just have to buy me a lot of shots to make up for this, I hope you know. Oh, and next time I get my identity stolen Fae style, try to notice a wee bit sooner."

Bo felt even worse after being reminded of that. The genuine smile on Kenzi's face helped a little, though. Bo leaned over and kissed Kenzi's head.

"Definitely." She confirmed.

Kenzi dabbed at her eyes quickly.

"Okay! Enough mushy stuff. Lets talk about the Doc."

Bo's smile faded at that. She really was terrified.

"I need to apologize," Bo tentatively said.

Kenzi nodded.

"And?" She prodded.

Bo looked at her, helplessness all over her face. Sighing dramatically, Kenzi helped fill in the blanks.

"Duh, you've gotta apologize. But you also need to talk to her. Like really talk. Let her tell you how she feels. I'm not saying this to make you feel like shit, but you need to get that this relationship isn't just about you. Lauren has just as many girly ass emotions as you do. You just gotta make sure she knows that you care about them, that's all."

Bo blinked and furrowed her brow. In a slightly defeated tone, she asked, "What if she doesn't believe me? I mean, I'd have trouble believing me."

Kenzi smiled encouragingly and patted Bo's hand.

"Then you make her believe you. Whether she forgives you tonight or a month from now, just make sure she does. She friggin' loves your nympho ass. It'll all work out. As long as you really hear what she says."

A tentative but genuine smile formed on Bo's face. Granted, she was still a little nervous about talking to Lauren, but Kenzi was doing her job as her best friend and making everything a little clearer.

"You know, you could be a therapist. Who knew that much wisdom could fit into such a little person?"

Kenzi grinned cockily and retorted.

"Doctor Phil's got nothin' on me."

Bo gave her another smile and then pulled herself off of the couch. She grabbed her car keys from the coffee table and turned back to her best friend.

"I'm gonna go see Lauren."

Kenzi got a confused look on her face.

"Right now? It's kinda late."

Bo shook her head and replied, "it's only eight thirty. Besides, its Lauren. She's probably doing sciency stuff and doesn't even know what time it is. I just," Bo paused to reign herself in.

"I really want things to be okay again. With us."

Kenzi gave her a fist pump and shouted, "Godspeed, then! Remember my awesome advice!"

Bo nodded.

"Wish me luck." With that, Bo leaned down to give Kenzi a quick peck on the cheek before heading for the door. Kenzi shouted after her.

"Remember, talk first. Succubang later!"

Bo rolled her eyes.

"Got it!"

**...**

Kenzi was fast asleep. She had stayed up for a few hours playing her robot hooker game and eating anything she could find after Bo left to go see Lauren. Hundreds of dead hookers and three bowls of cereal later she had collapsed into her bed, vowing to wake up no earlier than noon the next morning.

She was so deep in sleep that at first, the soft thuds coming from downstairs went unnoticed by her. It wasn't until the floor creaked audibly that her ears picked up on the sounds coming from downstairs. Sitting up, Kenzi groaned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Balls." She mumbled to herself, trying to listen for any other sounds. Hearing nothing but silence, she rolled her eyes and fell back onto the bed.

She had almost fallen back asleep when her ears picked up on the noises again, still coming from the floor below her. Sitting up again, Kenzi called out,

"Bo? If that's you, what the shitballs are you doing down there?"

Receiving no answer and hearing no more noise, she furrowed her brow and continued, "Kenzi needs her beauty slee-"

Thud.

She went quiet.

_What the fuck?_ She thought to herself.

The thudding continued, slow and steady. She listened closer. It seemed to be coming from the living room. Kenzi's eyes widened when she noticed that it would gradually grow louder, as if it was getting closer to the stairs. She swallowed nervously and reached for her phone that was resting on a stack of crates that she used as a nightstand. Slipping it into the pocket of her pajama bottoms, she climbed out of bed and inched towards her door to listen. The thudding was incessant, like a slow heartbeat.

After quickly grabbing a wooden baseball bat from under her bed, Kenzi grasped the door handle and was about to turn it when she noticed that the thudding had moved away from the bottom of the stairs. As far as she could tell, it seemed to be circling around the living room. She pressed her ear to the door to listen.

She could hear small, almost in audible sounds between the thudding steps that were starting to make her nauseous.

It sounded like...scratching? Or scraping? What the fuck is that? She wondered. Kenzi briefly debated with herself about whether or not to just call Bo or Dyson to come check it out. But it was late, and she didn't want to interrupt Bo's night with Lauren or Dyson's sleep over something that could easily be a stray animal or a random homeless guy that snuck into the house.

_Maybe it's Blossom the Possum! Last time I saw that little shit, he had revenge in his eyes. Probably because I doused him with Windex until he got the hell out. Or because I named him Blossom, _she reasoned with herself.

She gripped the bat in her hands tightly, ready to scare the shit out of the aforementioned animal and get back to sleep. Opening the door quietly so she wouldn't alert him to her presence, Kenzi's deftly walked down the short hallway and stopped at the top of the stairs. She peered into the darkened living space. The only light in the house was coming from a nightlight that Bo had placed for her by the front door. She had been a bit indignant at first, hearing Bo's reasoning.

"I don't want you to break your neck when you trip over the coffee table drunk again, Kenz. You'll thank me later." She had explained. Kenzi would never admit it, but that had made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She shook her head to focus. She sighed quietly, a bit annoyed. The thudding and the scratching was starting to piss her off more than anything at this point. Lowering herself down a few steps to get a better view, Kenzi's eyes adjusted to the darkness.

When her eyes reached the far corner of the living room, she almost dropped the bat she was holding. Her eyes widened and her heart stopped.

There was someone standing there.

She was frozen in her spot, stuck gaping at the figure standing perfectly still in the corner of the living room.

It didn't seem to have any tangible matter, or facial features, or anything distinguishing. It was just a black silhouette that looked to be about seven feet tall with unusually long arms and long, razor-sharp fingers. The figure seemed to be something similar to a thick mist or maybe even a type of black matter. Either way, the thing was so black that it made Kenzi think of oblivion.

She swallowed thickly and noticed that since she had laid eyes on the figure, the scratching and thuds had ceased. Her heart pounded in her chest and her mind started racing.

_On shit. I think it sees me. It doesn't have eyes but it totally sees me. Fuck fuck fuck!_

She breathed harshly through her nose, trying to make as little noise as possible. Trying to keep her eyes on the figure, Kenzi slowly began to ease her way back backwards, to move up the few stairs she had descended earlier. Just one stair into her escape, one of her feet slipped and she grabbed at the wall to steady herself. She quickly returned her attention to the corner of her living room.

It wasn't there.

Kenzi's eyes frantically moved, trying to spot the black figure. a few milliseconds later, her eyes finally landed on it. It was at the bottom of the stairs, standing, once again, perfectly still. The thing looked downright menacing, and her brain swiftly noted that it appeared even taller than before now that it was closer to her.

Kenzi couldn't stop herself from screaming.

She ran back into her room and slammed the door shut. After locking it, she ran to the closet and hid herself inside, pressing her back against the far wall, trying to be as far from the door as she possibly could. She fished her phone out of her pocket and snapped it open. She was scrolling quickly through her contact list for Dyson's name while listening to the thudding slowly come up the stairs. Then came a soft noise from what sounded like the other side of the bedroom door.

Her head snapped up. She forced herself to open the closet door a fraction of an inch. Gazing at the empty bedroom, she turned her attention to the bedroom door. The noises were definitely coming from the other side. The thuds and that damn scratching were now coming from just outside her room. The scratching was relentless, moving up and down the door slowly. Kenzi felt like she was going to have a heart attack when the creature started whispering harshly. It was low and gravelly, and it sounded angry. She tried to listen closely but couldn't make out what it was saying other than a short strangled phrase.

"Want...it I...I **WANT** IT!"

Whimpering, she shut the door and crawled back to the back wall of the closet. Seconds later, Kenzi had the phone pressed up to her ear tightly.

"Come on, come on. Answer your phone, Fido..." She whispered harshly.

"Hello?" Dyson's gruff voice came through the phone. Her eyes widened.

"Dyson?! Dyson! Help me! There's something in here in the house with me. It's fucking in here!" Her voice was a strained whisper.

"Kenzi? Where are you?" Dyson was awake and alert quickly, concern flooding his senses.

"I'm at home! At the clubhouse!" She whispered frantically.

"Okay. Just stay calm and hide somewhere, now. And don't come out. I'm on my way."

Kenzi focused on Dyson's voice to try and ignore the relentless noises at the door. She pleaded into the phone,

"It knows where I am! It's right outside the door! Oh god oh god oh god... Hurry Cujo! Before I get fucking murdered!"

She heard Dyson mutter something under his breath, then a car horn.

"Don't hang up on me." She begged.

"I won't. Just stay hidden and try to breathe. I'm coming for you."

She almost sighed in relief when she heard Dyson turn on the siren of his car.

"Just hurry." She whispered.

She sat shaking in the closet with her phone clutched desperately in her palm. The scraping had gotten faster and had started moving in circles at the bottom of the door. She whimpered and tried to concentrate on listening to Dyson who was quietly reassuring her while driving. What felt like hours but was actually minutes passed until she heard his squad car pull up to the clubhouse.

She stayed still and listened to Dyson open the front door open and move throughout the house. With his gun drawn and his eyes glowing their wolfish yellow, he walked up the stairs and swiftly checked every room for intruders. Once he had made sure that whoever or whatever had been there was gone, he holstered his gun and made his way back downstairs and called out for Kenzi.

"Kenzi! Where are you?"

She breathed deeply and yelled back,

"I'm in here! I'm in my room!"

She heard him make his way quickly back up the stairs to her room door and pull it open. She burst out of the closet at lightening speed and flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"Oh thank Jesus. Oh fuck."

Dyson gently gripped her shoulders and looked at her, assessing her physical condition.

"What happened?" His voice was steady and full of concern.

She shook her head vehemently,"Just get me the fuck out of here!" She demanded.

Dyson thought better than to argue. Whatever it was that was in the house, it had scared her senseless. He nodded and his eyes shifted to yellow.

"Stay close." The two walked toward the front door as quickly as they could. Dyson gripped the already open door and motioned for Kenzi to go through it. She didn't hesitate to speed walk straight to Dyson's squad car. Standing in the doorway , Dyson took one last look around the living room of the club house.

Something on the far wall opposite him caught his eye. Through the wooden boards, he saw what looked like the shadowy figure of a person standing perfectly still right outside the window. He sniffed the air. It smelled like Fae, but that's all he could detect. He growled softly and was just beginning to wolf out when the shrill sound of a car alarm down the street stole his attention. He quickly looked back at the window and saw that whatever was standing there before was gone. He narrowed his eyes and sniffed the air again, this time smelling nothing.

Deciding to not call back up since this was obviously not a human break in, and wanting to get Kenzi somewhere safe as soon as possible, Dyson shut the door and jogged to his car.

"Did you see it? Was it in there?" Kenzi asked immediately.

Dyson didn't answer. He started the car and cranked the heat to combat the nighttime winter weather. He then turned to her and spoke in a low, worried voice.

"We're going to the Dal."


	2. A Slow Descent Part II

2. "A Slow Descent Part II"

* * *

"I feel her filth in my bones,

wash off my hands till it's gone.

The walls they're closing in,

with velvet curtains..."

Bo stood outside of Lauren's door, a bag of take out from a Thai restaurant in her hand and a bouquet of flowers in the crook of her arm. She had called Lauren twice, but hadn't gotten an answer. Figuring Lauren just didn't hear her phone, Bo had stuck with her plan. Now she found herself in front of Lauren's door. She hadn't yet knocked, too preoccupied with trying to calm her nerves. After taking a deep breath, she brought her free hand up and her fist hovered over the door.

Sighing quietly, she chickened out and let her hand fall back to her side. Bo honestly didn't think she'd ever be this nervous to talk to Lauren. The two of them fit so well together that their interactions had always felt a little effortless. Even before they were together, back when they played their incessant game of cat and mouse, being with Lauren had always felt natural. She wished she could conjure up that feeling of calm right now, because now that she was standing in front of Lauren's door, Bo felt like a nervous wreck. The only thing Bo felt completely sure of was that she loved Lauren more than anything in the world. She just needed to get over herself and prove it.

Unfortunately, Bo knew that it wasn't going to be _that_ simple.

Bo knew she had screwed up. She had gotten caught up in herself, her own problems. It seemed to be a habit she just couldn't break. She had lost sight of what was precious. Of what was important. The Dawning and all of its consequences had hit Bo hard. She had felt like she was drowning and flying at the same time. The power that was starting to emerge within her was electrifying. It would flood her senses and make her feel absolutely invincible. Like all of the bullshit Fae politics and restrictions couldn't touch her. It was a rush and Bo was ashamed of how much she reveled in it.

The downsides were just as significant. The hunger she felt was overwhelming and would burrow itself into her very core. It grew and gnawed at her until she gave in. She ended up hating herself for her inability to control it. It felt like her human side was constantly clashing with her succubus nature. The back and forth was frustrating at best and completely draining at worst. So she did what she thought was necessary at the time. She put everything she had into preparing for the Dawning, and in the process, dropped everything else. She didn't spend as much time with Kenzi.

She spent even less with Lauren, who had probably felt Bo falling away but was too understanding to say or demand anything. The thought ate at Bo. She should have taken Lauren's acceptance of her self absorbed behavior as something to confront, not something to use for her own benefit. Bo shifted in her place. She had been selfish these past couple of months. She had lied, taken her girlfriend for granted, and to top it all off, she hadn't even noticed that there was a problem until she had seen Lauren's face when she had left Bo and Kenzi with Dyson.

Lauren had looked so defeated. Like something she had long since suspected had been confirmed. It had broken Bo's heart. But being who she was, she pushed the concern away and used Dyson as an excuse to avoid facing the damage she had done, if only for the day and a half that she and Kenzi would be with him. She told herself Lauren would be okay and she had even believed it. That wasn't the only reason she had stayed with Dyson, though. After the Dawning, she had felt angry, sick of Dyson always forcing himself into the picture as the hero. But then she had felt guilty.

He had given up his love, watched her fall in love with someone else, and gotten his love back only to be faced with Bo's rejection. Then the god damn Dawning had happened and she had to chi suck everyone she loved to save him. So in the end, she was stuck feeling guilty about feeling angry. She knew now that she should have went after Lauren then at the compound when she had seen how low Lauren looked by Dyson's bedside. But she didn't, opting instead to make herself feel better.

It was a mistake and it was just one of many that she had made in regards to Lauren lately. But she was here now. And even though her timing was shitty, she wasn't going to leave Lauren's side until she made sure that Lauren knew how sorry she was and much she loved her.

Glancing at her phone, she realized she had been standing in front of Lauren's door for almost five minutes. Taking a deep breath, Bo gave in and knocked on the door.

When the door didn't open, Bo resisted her instinct to run and knocked again.

She called out through the door.

"Lauren? It's...it's Bo."

The door opened a few agonizing moments later, revealing a casually dressed Lauren. Bo wasn't really used to seeing Lauren in anything but her work clothes, so the simple blue jeans and white v neck shirt were a welcome surprise. Lauren looked beautiful.

Bo smiled at her girlfriend, trying to ease the tension a little. Lauren mirrored the smile with a small one of her own, although Bo noticed that it didn't reach her eyes. Bo's heart ached.

"Hey, stranger." Bo's voice was steadier than she felt.

"Hey," Lauren replied simply but not unkindly.

Bo swallowed quickly and lifted the bag of food she was carrying, careful not to drop the flowers.

_Those were expensive_. She thought pointlessly.

"I uh...I brought some take out from that Thai place you love." Lauren smiled again and gently took the bag.

"That's sweet of you, and very much appreciated. I haven't eaten since this morning. Science is a cruel mistress." The doctor joked. Bo smiled in response, just happy to be with Lauren again.

"Come on in," Lauren moved to let Bo enter her apartment.

Bo walked inside and scanned the place. Her eyes landed on the scotch sitting on the coffee table. She furrowed her brow and spoke.

"You've been drinking." It was less of a question than Bo had intended.

Lauren turned away from the now locked door and replied.

"I don't have to go to the lab tomorrow." With an uncharacteristic shrug, she set the bag of food down next to the scotch. Bo wanted to point out how that wasn't a valid reason to drink alone, but thought better of it. Changing the subject, she started rambling nervously.

"I'm sorry I just kinda popped up outta nowhere, I tried calling but you didn't pick up. I got you these." Bo held the flowers out to Lauren, who ducked her head and blushed slightly. Even when things were this rocky between them, Bo could make her feel like a schoolgirl. After putting the flowers in some water in the kitchen, Lauren found herself sitting across from Bo on the couch. Still feeling a bit courageous from the alcohol she had consumed earlier, she asked the question that she had been wondering since her girlfriend had shown up at her door.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but Bo, what are you doing here? It's pretty late."

_Don't fuck this up_, she told herself.

"I really, really wanted to see you. I've missed you. And there's a few things I need to say to you." She spoke carefully.

Lauren couldn't help herself and retorted a bit angrily.

"Just a few?"

Bo winced despite knowing that she deserved the words.

"I'm sorry. I've been a pretty crappy girlfriend lately and I want to make it up to you. Starting with dinner and a really long apology." Bo spoke earnestly. Lauren, though, wasn't being as receptive as the succubus thought she'd be.

"Bo..." She paused and sighed warily. Bo took the opportunity to cut in.

"I just want to talk to you. Please." Lauren wasn't in the mood for this, but she knew from experience that avoiding your problems always came back to haunt you. So she sucked it up and gave Bo a simple nod.

"Okay."

If Bo noticed the thinly veiled sadness in her voice, she made no mention of it. And for the first time in a long time, Bo's oblivious smile didn't make Lauren's heart sting. She just felt empty.

"Okay." Bo breathed out in relief. She continued.

"I've been crappy to you. I let this Dawning thing go to my head and I didn't leave any room for anything else. I know you feel like I'm drifting away and that you-"

Lauren cut in, voice flat.

"You have no idea how I feel, Bo. You haven't cared enough to ask."

Bo swallowed the crappy excuse that had been on the tip of her tongue. Lauren was right and she knew it. She spoke softly but surely, trying to make Lauren feel the truth in her words.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I don't know how you feel. But Lauren, that doesn't mean that I don't care. You mean everything to me and I want you to be happy. I want you to feel the way I feel when I'm with you."

Lauren heard the words clearly and her brain registered every syllable perfectly. She just didn't fully believe them. There were so many doubts now, crowding her head and her heart. And as much as she wanted to collapse into Bo's arms and accept Bo's apology, she couldn't. Not yet anyway.

"Bo, I know you care. That's not the problem." She said, voice softer than it had been earlier. Bo's face grew confused.

"Then what is it? Just tell me and I'll fix it. Please." She pleaded. This wasn't going at all how Bo hoped. Lauren didn't look any less defeated than when Bo had first shown up. Bo just didn't know _why_ that was.

"It's not that simple." Lauren responded. Bo clenched her jaw. She was starting to get frustrated with her lack of progress and Lauren's resistance.

"Just talk to me. Don't shut me out like always." It only took Bo about half a second for her to regret her words. Lauren narrowed her eyes at the succubus.

"Shut you out? You haven't even been here, Bo! You've been too busy running around with Tamsin or coddling Dyson's nine hundred year old ego. There was no one to shut out." She felt herself losing control. She didn't even try to compose herself, knowing it would be in vain. Bo had always brought out her emotions full force.

When Bo just sat there and didn't say anything, Lauren continued.

"You don't understand. You're not seeing it. Any of it."

Lauren wiped at the few tears that had fallen from her eyes. She looked at her lap and pressed her fingers to her temples, wanting this entire night to just be over. For her part, Bo was taken aback. Lauren was the most put together person she knew and all of this emotion Lauren was throwing at her was startling. She felt like the world's biggest asshole. She scooted closer to Lauren and reached up to touch Lauren's face, helping her wipe away her tears. She then grasped Lauren's hands and held them in her own.

"Look at me, Laur." The affectionate nickname was something Bo used sparingly, as she wanted to keep it special. Lauren lifted her head and looked her in the eyes.

"I'm so sorry. You're right. I've taken you for granted and I haven't been here for you at all," Bo felt like the ground was collapsing under her. She felt Lauren slipping through her fingers and it was putting her on edge. She continued.

"You are the most important person in my life," Bo felt the tell-tale signs of approaching tears. Her throat was constricting and her breathing was a little shallow. She pressed on.

"But you don't believe me. And that's my fault. But Lauren, I'm not going to stop trying to make this work. I love you. I always have."

Lauren searched Bo's eyes. She saw nothing but honesty in them, but much to her surprise, it wasn't making her feel any better. She still felt like Bo was missing a vital part of the problem and it made her feel even less connected to her girlfriend than she already did. She gently removed her hands from Bo's grip. She took a deep breath and started explaining.

"My entire life, I've felt like I don't belong. My parents treated me like a stranger after I came out to them and I wasn't very popular in school, believe it or not," Lauren deadpanned. She watched Bo crack a tiny smile at that, and gave her a small one of her own before continuing.

"When I was at Yale, I had a few friends and I had even managed to figure out how to talk to girls without making an ass out of myself. But I still felt out of place. People still thought I was a weirdo just because I was such an introvert. Then I served in Afghanistan and eventually the Congo. Being that I'm both a woman and a pacifist, I was always more of a necessity than a teammate. And then, after all that, I was enslaved by the fae. You know, it wasn't until then that I truly learned what it was to be a complete outsider. I'm not one of them, and most of the fae I've associated with have had no qualms about making me feel as isolated as possible." Lauren paused for a moment, trying to get her voice to remain steady. She continued.

"Then I met you. And for once I felt like I was exactly where I should've been. You felt like home, Bo." Lauren's eyes softened as she said it and she smiled sadly. She went on.

"But for the last couple of months, I've felt like I'm in high school all over again. I don't fit anywhere. You and I, we're on two different wavelengths. Half the time, I feel like you'd rather be with Dyson. When I saw your face...after the Dawning," Lauren wiped another tear from her face while speaking.

"You looked so happy. And I realized that you hadn't looked at me like that in what felt like forever." She rolled her eyes at herself.

"And now I'm babbling and what I'm really trying to say is that I think you need to figure out what it is that you really want. Because it doesn't feel like it's me, Bo."

The uneasy feeling that Lauren was slipping through her fingers returned, hitting Bo full force. Panic seized her brain.

"It _is_ you. I want _you_. Not Dyson, not Tamsin, just you. You have to believe me Lauren because it's the honest to God truth." She pleaded.

Lauren had since given up on trying to hold back her tears. She watched as a slightly frantic Bo got up off the couch and pushed the coffee table out of the way so she could kneel in front of Lauren.

"I love you, okay? More than ever I thought I could love someone. Just tell me how to fix this, Lauren. Because I feel like I just got sucker punched by Mike Tyson." Seeing how vulnerable Bo was, Lauren dreaded the words she was about to say. She didn't want to say them any more than she thought Bo would want to hear them. But she knew she needed to. An old and familiar saying from her father found its way into her head.

_"Sometimes you have to burn the land to save the earth, Lauren."_

She could remember his voice clear as day. Deep and full of warmth. Lauren always knew that deep down he regretted the way he treated her after she told him she was gay. He was just too proud to ever admit it, let alone fix it. Then she had been enslaved and Lauren Lewis was declared legally dead to the human world ending any possibility of making amends.

She sniffled and looked Bo in the eyes. Her voice cracked when she spoke.

"I think we should take a break." She requested. Bo's stomach churned and she had to force herself to speak.

"What?"

Lauren just held Bo's eyes and replied.

"I'm not happy, Bo. I'm tired." Bo heard the exhaustion in Lauren's voice and it made her want to beat the crap out of something. She felt helpless, like she had walked into a situation that had a predetermined ending. Bo asked hoarsely, voice cracking,

"You're serious? You want to break up?"

Lauren ran a hand through her hair, trying her hardest not to give in and take it all back.

"It's just a break. I need some time, some space. I don't know who I am or what I'm doing anymore. I just feel so lost all the time." With every word she spoke, Lauren felt the weight lifting from her shoulders. It hurt, but she knew that it needed to be said at some point. Keeping it to herself would've slowly crushed her.

"I'm sorry. I really am." She added sadly.

All of the fight Bo had in her evaporated at the finality in Lauren's tone. She couldn't believe that this had gone so wrong. That her girlfriend had felt this broken without her even noticing.

But right now, in the doctor's living room, Bo knew what Lauren was doing. She was telling Bo the truth about what she needed. But she was also giving Bo a choice. To either let them go or get her shit together and prove to Lauren that she was what Bo truly wanted. Bo didn't even had to think about it. She wanted Lauren and she knew it without a doubt.

She had known it all along.

Now she just had to prove it, starting with giving Lauren what she needed now. A break.

"Okay." Bo conceded. She swallowed thickly, trying to stop the flow of tears. She nodded to herself and then lifted her head to meet Lauren's eyes.

"If this is what you what you want, what you need...then okay." Bo smiled a watery smile and tried her damnedest to look like she wasn't dying on the inside. The only thing getting her through this was the tiny shred of hope that this wasn't the end. She clung to it like it was all she had left.

"But just know that I'm not gonna stop trying. I love you. you're the only one I want and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make you believe that. So take all the time you need because I'm not going anywhere, Lauren."

Despite that they had just agreed to be apart for a while, Lauren gave Bo a tiny, sad smile. She was both surprised and appreciative of Bo's attempt to understand. "Thank you." She said softly.

Bo just nodded in response. She got up slowly from her place in front of Lauren and stood still for a moment. She then turned back to Lauren and spoke gently.

"I uh...I'm gonna head home. Kenzi's probably drank herself into a coma without me there to watch her..." The small joke did nothing to ease the tension in the room. She leaned down and kissed Lauren on the forehead. Speaking softly, she told Lauren,

"You feel like home too, you know."

Standing up straight, Bo smiled, trying to keep the situation from feeling like the bittersweet disaster that it was. It took everything in Lauren to not just take it all back and ask Bo to stay. This 'burning the land' thing was proving to be infinitely harder than her father had made it sound. She watched as Bo walked out of her apartment and shut the door quietly behind her. It wasn't until a few minutes later that she wrapped her arms around herself and started sobbing.

"I never, she never, we never looked back.

That wasn't what we were good at.

And when it came to love,

We were not good enough.

Slow it down, come back to bed,

Rest your arms and rest your legs.

Don't you frown when you're feelin' like that,

Only love can dig you out of this."

Slow It Down - The Lumineers

**...**

"That could've gone better." Kenzi mumbled to herself.

She was currently standing at a pool table and had just sent the eight ball flying off of the table and onto the floor. She sighed and didn't even try to stop it from rolling away. Her and Dyson had arrived at the Dal about ten minutes ago and were waiting for Trick to politely empty the bar of the few patrons that had stayed late into the night. Dyson, who was standing on the other side of the pool table, eyed her worriedly.

"You okay?" He asked. Kenzi smiled tightly and replied.

"I'm fine, really." That was the third time he had asked her since they had gotten to the Dal. His concern was touching, really, but if he kept asking her the same thing over and over she was going to jab him in the face with her pool stick.

Finally, the two heard Trick call them over to the bar, where he already had two frosty mugs of ale waiting. Kenzi hopped onto a stool and greeted him.

"Howdy, Trickster. Boy do we have a story to tell you." She told him. She shook her head dramatically and took a healthy swig of the beer in front of her.

Trick smiled affectionately at her before turning to Dyson, who was sitting next to Kenzi. He asked,

"What happened? You sounded pretty spooked on the phone." Dyson grimaced slightly.

"We just came from the club house. Something attacked her. Something fae." He turned to Kenzi, hinting that she should explain. She took another quick sip of her beer and performed a light drum roll on the surface of the bar with her hands. She leaned in to begin her story.

"Once upon a time, on the dark and stormy night of...well, tonight-"

"Kenzi." Trick cut in rolling his eyes.

She raised her hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright. Just tryin' to add some finesse..." She mumbled. She cleared her throat and began again.

"Okay, so me and Bo were talking and shit until like eight thirty. Then she left to go see Lauren. After that, I was bored so I blasted some robot hookers and had some cereal. You know, a regular night. Then I went to bed. I was super comfortable and everything. Then something woke me up at about midnight. I heard noises coming from downstairs. They were like thuds, you know? So I got up to look." She paused and shivered. She felt like she was back in the house again. She continued her story.

"There was something standing in the living room. It looked like a person but it it was just like an outline you know? Like a shadow or a mist or something. It was fucking scary, dudes. So I bravely turned the fuck around and ran to the closet in my room. I hid in there and called Dyson while the fucker tried to get in my room. It kept scratching the door like a psycho house cat or something. And it kept whispering shit. Then Dyson saved me and here we are." She finished with a dramatic wave of her hands. Trick looked thoughtful.

"You said it was a shadow? Can you describe it beyond that?" He asked. Kenzi nodded.

"It was human shaped and it was all black. Like, really fuckin' black. It was super tall and it's arms were kinda long and it's fingers looked scary sharp." She told him. Dyson furrowed his brow and chimed in.

"Did it speak?" He asked. She shook her head.

"No. It just kept whispering when it was trying to get into my room." She answered.

"Could you make out what it said?" Dyson questioned further. Kenzi looked thoughtful for a moment.

"It kept saying 'I want it'. That's all I could really hear." She replied. Dyson shared a worried look with Trick. Kenzi noticed it and pounced.

"What? Do you know what it is?" She asked quickly. Trick nodded.

"I think I have an idea. Is there anything else that might help?" He asked the two. Dyson spoke up.

"After I put Kenzi in the car, I took a last look around the living room. I smelled something fae. Whatever it was that attacked Kenzi was standing outside of one of the windows. I looked away for a second and it was gone." He explained.

Trick nodded.

"I'm going to guess that it had no scent other than that of a general Fae?" He asked Dyson, who simply nodded. Kenzi sipped her beer, totally immersed in the conversation.

"I'll be right back." Trick told them as be headed for the back room where he kept all of his books. A few moments later he came back out and laid a thick black book on the table. He flipped to a page near the back and turned it so that Dyson and Kenzi could view it. He began to explain.

"From what you've described, I'm pretty sure you just had an encounter with an Umbra." He said.

"A what now?" Kenzi asked him. Trick pointed to a picture of a black silhouette that was drawn on the page.

"An Umbra. They're a type of underfae that are sent by regular fae to complete certain tasks. It could be anything from sending a message, to retrieving an object, even killing someone. They don't have a human form and they feed off of fear, which is why they usually take the time to terrorize they're victims before completing whatever it was they were sent to do. They have a very limited thought process, so the orders given to them have to be fairly specific." He summarized. Dyson rubbed his chin in thought.

"But why did it go after Kenzi?" He questioned. Kenzi turned her gaze to Trick, waiting for an answer.

"I'm not sure. We'd have to speak to the fae who sent it." He answered sympathetically. Kenzi laid her hand on the bar to get their attention.

"It kept saying 'I want it'. Maybe it meant something in the house?" She theorized. Trick gave it a thought before replying.

"That could be it. But again, the only way to know for sure is to find the sender. Find that fae and you'll have your answer." He told them. Kenzi swore under her breath. Dyson nodded.

"Any idea on how to find this fae?" He asked. Trick looked apologetic.

"Unfortunately, no. Although I can tell you that Umbras are rather uncommon and usually employed by Dark fae. My best advice is to ask around. I'm sorry I can't be of more help." He told them genuinely. Dyson shook his head.

"At least we know a bit more about what we're dealing with." He observed. Kenzi nodded and pushed her now empty mug towards Trick.

"I'm gonna go call Bo and give her the low down." She slipped off of the stool and walked off toward the bathroom. Dyson watched her go. Once he saw that she was out of earshot, he turned to Trick.

"This Umbra, do you think it's going to come after Kenzi again?" He questioned. Trick once again looked apologetic.

"I'm not sure. But from the information she gave us, I think it might've been after some_thing_, not some_one_. If I had to guess, I would say no." He answered honestly. Dyson sighed in displeasure. He hated not knowing what to expect. The lack of control put both him and his wolf on edge.

"I didn't want to ask you in front of Kenzi. I didn't want to scare her." He said, explaining the timing of his question.

Trick simply nodded as Kenzi returned to stand at the bar.

"I left Bo Bo a voicemail. She's probably too busy with Lauren to answer her phone, that succuslut." She told them while noticing the clenching of Dyson's jaw. She would've felt guilty for bringing it up, but lately she was starting to get a little sick of Dyson's mating for life dilemma. There was only so much tragic melodrama she could take, after all. She felt for him, she really did, but she was a firm believer in second chances. She just really wished that Dyson would give himself one and find his own happiness. Bo had, and he needed to accept that and do the same. His redundant brooding was getting tiresome to watch.

"So anywho, it's been a long and weird night. I'm beat." She announced.

Dyson glanced at his watch and saw that it was a quarter after one. He turned to Kenzi.

"You can stay at my place for the night. Just to be safe." He offered. Kenzi nodded and yawned.

"Let's bounce, Wolfman." She said. Dyson got up from his stool and thanked Trick for his help. After saying their goodbyes and promising Trick that they'd keep him informed, Kenzi and Dyson left the bar.

**...**

**(The next morning)**

"They have no idea, do they?"

The Morrigan, widely known as Evony, sat at her desk dressed in one of her signature black ensembles. Tamsin sat in front of her, legs crossed and arms folded across her chest. It was about six in the morning, an hour before she needed to be at the precinct. The blonde detective arched an eyebrow at Evony's question.

"That a member of their merry little sunshine gang is the Wanderer? No, they don't." Tamsin answered. Evony smirked.

"Tell me a bit more about this Wanderer. You said you'd have to kill them. Why?" She asked. Tamsin shook her head.

"Not kill them, per sé. I'd have to take them from this world and deliver them to Odin. They'd be turned into a valkyrie and eventually be born again here, in your world." She summarized.

Evony was unimpressed.

"Why?" She demanded. Tamsin shrugged, a little bored.

"Odin demanded it." She answered. Evony narrowed her eyes.

"And you? What happens to my favorite woman on the force?" She asked.

Tamsin bit back a rude comment.

"After I deliver them, I leave Valhalla and come back here. Simple as that." She explained.

"You keep saying 'they'. Isn't Valhalla like a sapphic country club? No boys allowed?" She questioned. Tamsin rolled her eyes. She didn't come here for this. She was only here to let the Morrigan know of her orders from Odin. As much as she hated Evony and her sleazy demeanor, she was still her boss in this world. And her boss didn't take well to being left in the dark. Somehow, Evony had gotten wind of the situation, landing Tamsin here this morning to explain her mission from Odin.

"The situation is apparently very unique. It could be a man or a woman, lucky me," she boasted sarcastically. She continued.

"All I know is that it could be any one of those Scooby Doo rejects. But if it does turn out to be a male, Odin would have to improvise. Men can't be Valkyries." She told the Morrigan, who scoffed and folded her hands on her desk in response. She leaned forward.

"And just what is so special about this Wanderer character that they get a VIP ticket to your paradise island?" She drawled in a low husky tone. Tamsin clenched her jaw. She really wanted a drink.

"Apparently, the Wanderer is in possession of something powerful. They just don't know it. And if they are allowed to stay here much longer, it's not gonna be pretty for the rest of us." She said.

"And your sugar daddy knows this how?" The Morrigan questioned.

"About a month ago, a seer gave him a message. A warning," Tamsin leaned forward in her chair and held the Morrigan's eyes. Her face was serious.

"The seer's message wasn't very specific-" she began before The Morrigan cut in.

"They never are." She commented. Tamsin sneered slightly at her but didn't refute the fact. She kept explaining.

"But she told Odin that some nutjob is going to find something powerful in the Wanderer and they're going to use it against the fae. My job is to figure it out first and prevent that." She told the woman in front of her. Evony still appeared unimpressed, but Tamsin didn't have to strain to see a tiny bit of concern flash in the Morrigan's eyes. But it was gone as soon as it had appeared.

"And what if you don't, darling? What then?" Evony asked her with a relaxed and amused smile on her face. Tamsin smiled too, wanting to enjoy the look on the Morrigan's face when she heard the answer.

She spoke with a steady and grave voice.

"Then we're all going to die."


	3. Flat On Your Back

3. "Flat On Your Back"

* * *

"Yeah, let's not do that."

Kenzi sarcastically requested upon seeing an obviously severely hungover Bo emptying her stomach into the kitchen sink. She had just walked into the clubhouse after spending the night at Dyson's. It was early morning, about eight. She walked over to Bo and held her hair back for her. She smirked and patted Bo's back.

"There, there. Let the barf be free, hold back do not." She said in a mock Yoda voice. She was greeted with Bo's middle finger.  
And more vomiting.

_How much did this bitch drink, last night?_ She wondered curiously. Once Bo had finished throwing up, she collapsed into a chair by the small kitchen table. Kenzi leaned against the counter eating a bowl of cereal.

"Kill me now. I feel like an ogre shook the crap out of me for ten hours straight." Bo moaned pitifully. Kenzi looked at her bestie with a confused look on her face.

"Bo, Why are you barfing up your insides? Did you and Hotpants get super shitfaced last night or...?" She left the question hanging. Bo laid her head on the table gingerly and answered her quietly.

"Lauren kinda broke up with me." She revealed. Kenzi's eyes widened and she put her cereal down on the counter. She walked over to Bo and hugged her from the back.

"Oh, honey. I'm sorry." She told her best friend genuinely. She released Bo and walked to the fridge. She poured a glass of water and reached for the aspirin they kept on the counter. She set the water and pills in front of Bo and sat down across from her at the table. Rubbing Bo's arm sympathetically, she spoke softly.

"Tell me everything."

**...**

Tamsin walked into the precinct with a scowl on her face. The fifteen minute drive hadn't eased the irritation she felt at having to meet with the Morrigan. If there was one thing Tamsin hated, it was having to answer to that creep of a woman. It always left her skin crawling. She sat down at her desk after pouring herself some coffee and almost growled at the pile of waiting paperwork sitting on it. Dyson looked up from the file in his hand and smirked at her.

"Rough morning?" He asked. Tamsin glared at him.

"Shut it." She snapped. He raised his hands in defense.

"Easy, tiger." He retorted. He leaned in and spoke in a hushed tone.

"I need your help." He told her. Tamsin didn't look up from the coffee in her hand.

"Don't care." She replied casually.

"Come on. I'll explain in the squad car." Dyson told her, already getting up to put on his jacket. He gave her a knowing smile.  
"Unless you wanted to tackle that paperwork?" He asked her. She sighed and clenched her jaw. Smiling sarcastically, she gave in.

"Fine." She stood and shrugged into her blue leather jacket. They left the police station silently. Once the pair had settled into the car, Tamsin spoke.

"So what's the problem, Air Bud?" She asked, tone void of interest. Dyson cleared his throat and glanced at her for a moment before returning his gaze to the road.

"Are you familiar with Umbras?" He asked. Tamsin narrowed her eyes at him.

"They're creepy shadow fae. Used to do dirty work sometimes." She answered. Dyson nodded to himself. He stopped the car at a red light and turned his head toward his partner.

"Right, well, Kenzi was attacked by one last night." Tamsin's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"What the hell for? She's just a puny human." She replied in bewilderment. Dyson shrugged and pulled in to the Light Fae compound.

"I don't know. That's why I need your help. Trick said Umbras are usually employed by Dark Fae. Being that you're also Dark, I know you have some connections." He reasoned calmly. Tamsin sighed.  
_I really don't have time to play Nancy Drew right now. I need to focus on finding this goddamn Wanderer, not Casper the Friendly fucking ghost._ She thought to herself.

"Can't. Busy." She answered flatly. Dyson's jaw twitched in irritation. He knew picking a fight wouldn't work, Tamsin didn't respond to fights with anything less than physical violence. He decided to try and play it nice.

"Tamsin, please. Kenzi might be in trouble." He pleaded. Tamsin only scoffed at him.

"What about Bo? Can't the succubitch protect her pets?" She asked coldly. Dyson's face hardened slightly.

"She'll help too. But Bo isn't Dark fae. There's only so much she can do." He told her in a more forceful tone. He caught himself and quickly continued in a softer tone of voice.

"Tamsin, please. I'll owe you one." He told her. Tamsin took a second to consider his request.  
_If I say no, I get to keep my sanity. Definite plus. But if I say yes...I might get some dirt on these people and find out which one I'm delivering to Valhalla. Process of elimination. Hell, I guess even Kenzi could be the Wanderer, _She figured.

Tamsin growled softly. It's not like she was having much luck on her own figuring out who the Wanderer was so far, and her time was running out.

"Fine, dog breath. You owe me big time." She conceded grudgingly. Dyson brightened a bit and gave her a grateful smile.

"Thanks." He told her. She rolled her eyes at his _feelings._

"Whatever." She mumbled back. She looked through the car's window and furrowed her brow.

"Why are we at the Light compound?" She asked. Dyson unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car, signaling Tamsin to do the same.

"Lauren's going to make sure I'm all good after the Dawning. Apparently it's procedure." He shrugged. Tamsin grunted in annoyance.

"Make sure she checks you for fleas." She taunted him. Dyson smiled teasingly.

"You just want me to take my shirt off, Slamsin." He retorted before heading into the large building. Tamsin rolled her eyes and followed him, hoping beyond all hope that he didn't turn out to be who she was looking for. She'd never admit it to him, but she may have developed a soft spot for her partner.

_Fuck Odin, damn it. This is going to suck no matter which one of them it turns out to be._ She thought darkly.

**...**

"Wow. I gotta say, I didn't expect her to dump you." Kenzi said in surprise once the previous night's events had been told to her. Bo shook her head emphatically.

"It's just a break." She stressed. Kenzi nodded quickly, not wanting to upset her friend further.

"So after that, I'm assuming you got totally shitfaced. Just judging by your lovely sink side display." She teased lightly.  
Bo shrugged.

"Yeah. I tried feeding too, but..." She shrugged again helplessly. Kenzi just gave her a soft, knowing look.

"Just don't give up, Bo Bo. You knew this was a possibility. Now deal with it like the badass fae woman you are. You are going to woo her." She informed her friend. Bo arched an eyebrow.

"And how am I gonna do that, Stephen King?" She asked glumly. Kenzi went to answer but stopped and furrowed her brow.

"Wait, what? How am I Stephen King?" She questioned, completely lost. Bo rolled her eyes.

"He's that guy who writes those books. You know, the cheesy ones. The Notebook, right?" She explained. Kenzi slapped her forehead.

"For fuck's sake, Bo. That's Nicholas Sparks. How dare you insult Stephen! Are you serious right now?" She exclaimed in indignation. Bo held her hands up in defense.

"Hey, I'm always busy saving the whole freakin' fae universe. So I don't have time to read, sue me." She said in defense. Kenzi just stared at her.

"Kenzi, stop staring at me like that and help me." Bo demanded. Kenzi shook herself out of her shock and nodded.

"As I was saying, you've gotta woo the Doc. Show her you're serious about wanting just her. Buy her flowers. Compliment her. Basically, do all the stuff you should've done when you had her." Kenzi supplied. Bo looked a little hurt at the last bit, making Kenzi feel bad. She quickly added,

"Sorry. You know what I mean." Bo nodded and shrugged it off.

"I can do this. Right?" She looked at Kenzi with wide eyes. Resisting the urge to slap the insecurity out of her best friend, she raised her fist and offered it to Bo.

"You can do this." She assured her. Bo smiled and bumped her own fist against Kenzi's. The goth then remembered the message she had left on Bo's phone the night before.

"Did you get the message I left last night?" She questioned. Bo shook her head.

"I had just woken up when you got here. Why? Did something happen?" She asked, concerned. Kenzi just nodded and cleared her throat dramatically.

"Once upon a time, on a dark and stormy night, last night actually-" She began before being interrupted.

"No." Was all Bo said. Kenzi rolled her eyes.

"You fae don't understand_ theatrical flair_." She bitched. Bo rolled her eyes.

"Kenzi." She scolded.

"Alright! Okay, so last night..."

**...**

"Looks like you're perfectly healthy." Lauren announced, smiling politely at Dyson. He smiled back from his seat on the examination table.

"Thanks, doctor." He said. Tamsin's voice cut in from a nearby chair.

"Everything's normal?" She questioned Lauren, who nodded.

"Yes. He's fine." She assured her. Tamsin stood.

"Nothing out of the ordinary?" She asked. Lauren gave her an inquisitive look.

"No. Why do you ask?" She asked the blonde detective. Dyson looked at Tamsin, also waiting for an explanation.

"No reason. Just being thorough." She said with a fake smile plastered to her face. Lauren looked unconvinced but dropped it. She didn't want to interact with the Valkyrie any more than she had to. It reminded her of Bo and made her stomach feel like it was in knots.

"Well, I've got another patient to tend to. Thank you for coming in, Dyson." She gave him one last tight smile then walked off to another part of the lab. Tamsin felt the tiniest twinge of regret when she saw how uncomfortable she made the doctor. Kissing Bo had been fun, sure. But she didn't feel anything toward the succubus except a small bit of burgeoning friendship.

Lauren really had no way of knowing that, though, and Tamsin couldn't help herself when she had been at the doctor's apartment a short while back. She had been trying to goad the doctor into a fight to test Lauren's reaction. She didn't know what she had expected, but the slap she had received had been kind of disappointing. It wasn't anything fae, and it sure as hell wasn't the 'something powerful' that the seer had warned Odin about. All Tamsin had really done was piss off the doctor, and it made her feel a bit like an ass. But she had a mystery to solve, and there was no time for feelings.

_This merry band of morons is making me soft._ She thought, annoyed with herself.

"C'mon, let's go bag us an umbra lover." She told Dyson. The two partners were on their way out when out when a body collided with Tamsin. It was Hale.

"Shit." He muttered. Dyson spoke up.

"Hale? Is everything alright?" He asked his former partner after taking a good look at him. The siren appeared distressed. His breathing was a bit quick and there was sweat on his brow.

"Dyson. Tamsin. What are you guys doing here?" He asked the detectives. Dyson shared a look of confusion with Tamsin.

"You requested a medical exam for me after the Dawning. Hale, are you alright?" Dyson asked for a second time.

"Ah, yes. Forgot that was scheduled for today." He cleared his throat and composed himself a bit.

"Everything's fine. Just some Ash business I need to talk to Doctor Lewis about." The siren explained quickly.  
Tamsin studied Hale subtly. The guy was acting a bit out of it. When she had heard him say that he was here to talk to the doctor, Tamsin's interest was piqued.

_Hale couldn't be the Wanderer, could he?_ She wondered.

She really hoped not. She had nothing against the guy, but she couldn't deny that he bored her to no end. Bidding farewell to his presence in this world wouldn't really faze her, but delivering him to Valhalla would be a snoozefest. If she were to be completely honest, She just didn't see him being someone as significant as the Wanderer. Why he was even chosen as the Ash was still a mystery to her.

_But he had been, so he's still a possibility._ Tamsin grudgingly admitted to herself.

"Of course. We need to grab a drink soon, though. I miss my old partner." Dyson's voice cut through her thoughts.  
Tamsin scoffed at him loudly. He only smiled sheepishly. Hale nodded and patted Dyson on the shoulder.

"Of course, D-man. But right now I've got some official business to take care of, I'll see you guys later." He nodded at both detectives and walked off in the direction Lauren had went earlier. They watched him go. Tamsin then turned toward her partner with a raised eyebrow and commented sarcastically.

"Well that wasn't weird at all." Dyson gave her a look of agreement as they made their way to the lab's exit.

**...**

"We have to find who sent it."

Bo said, worried. Kenzi had just finished recounting her run in with the umbra and Bo was feeling ashamed that she had been busy getting wasted instead of being there to protect her friend.

"Dyson's on it. Trick said it was probably a Dark fae, so wolfboy probably dragged Tamsin's bitchy ass into helping him." Kenzi told her lightly. She knew Bo felt bad, but as far as she was concerned it was unwarranted.

"Well, Dyson's getting my help too. I need a distraction from the mess that is my love life." Bo decided. Kenzi just smiled sympathetically.

"It'll all work out, babes. I'm sure of it." She assured her friend confidently. A couple of hours later, Bo's phone started ringing. The two were lounging on the sofa, immersed in an Animal Hoarders marathon. Grunting in annoyance, Bo sat up and reached for her phone.

"It's Dyson." She told Kenzi before answering it. The conversation was short, and from what Kenzi could tell, not a social call. After another few seconds, Bo shut her phone.

"We're going to the Dal. There's big news that for some reason, can't be said over the damn phone." Bo informed Kenzi. Being monumentally hungover, she had really just wanted to stay in for the rest of the day and eat ice cream and mope around. Apparently, life had other plans for her.

"Get in the shower then, sweet cheeks. I don't have all day." Kenzi commanded dramatically before going into her own room to change her clothes.

Bo's only response was a pitiful sigh.

**...**

Bo and Kenzi walked into the Dal a little over an hour later and were instantly spotted by Trick, who was in his usual spot behind the bar.

"You two, over here." He instructed before placing two mugs of light ale in front of them. The two took their seats and looked around. Kenzi was the first to speak.

"Um, Trickster buddy, where is everyone?" She asked. The bar was empty with the exception of Dyson and Hale, who upon noticing Kenzi and Bo's arrival, abandoned their game of pool and walked up to the bar.

"I closed early. It's inventory day. Besides, the more privacy we have, the better." He answered the small girl. She shrugged and accepted his answer without fuss, deciding to focus instead on her beer.

"Well, what's the big news? Don't tell me I dragged my ass all the way over here just to help you count bottles of José Cuervo." Bo sarcastically asked the three men in her presence. Dyson answered her calmly, unaffected by Bo's attitude.

"We have a problem." He informed her. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I figured. What is it? And where's Tamsin?" She asked.

"Looking for whoever sent the umbra to Kenzi." Dyson answered.

Hale spoke up from beside Dyson, his voice a mix of both anger and worry.

"Bo, I'm being replaced as the Ash." He told her. Bo's eyes widened and Kenzi choked on her beer. Dyson and Trick stood by, serious looks on their faces.

"What? Why?" Bo asked. She didn't understand. Hale hadn't even been the Ash for a full year, and somehow he had managed to fuck up badly enough to warrant being replaced? It didn't add up in her mind.

"I don't know. They told me this morning but didn't say why. Only that the counsel's decision has been made and that it's final." He explained. Dyson, suddenly remembering Hale's strange behavior in the lab, asked curiously,

"Is that what you were seeing Lauren about today?" Hale nodded in reply.

"I asked her if she knew anything about it. I also warned her about this new Ash. There's something majorly off about all of this." He explained to the group. Trick was confused. Choosing an Ash was a serious and lengthy process, almost as lengthy as removing one. The abruptness of the situation was concerning to the Blood King.

"Who is your successor?" He asked Hale, who simply shrugged defeatedly.

"I don't know." He said. Bo looked at him, eyes wide with disbelief.

"You don't know? This almighty counsel of fossilized fae is just gonna fire you without an explanation and not even tell you who gets your job?" She questioned him.

"Like I said, there is something off about this. Something big." Hale answered her solemnly. Bo just scoffed.

"Yeah, no kidding. Fae politics at their finest." She spoke heatedly. Kenzi placed her hand on Bo's arm to calm her.

"So what do we do?" The goth asked the group of fae in front of her. Her only answer was a collective look of 'we have no fucking idea'. She sighed. Dyson finally broke the silence.

"For now, we'll have to wait. They should announce the new Ash within the next few days. For all we know, there could be a valid reason for all of this." He offered. The group looked at him warily, not completely satisfied with the passive plan of action. Trick eventually sighed in reluctant agreement.

"He's right. We will just have to wait it out. It could be nothing." Dyson opened his mouth to reply when a loud noise reverberated through the bar and the whole place went dark. Bo instinctively moved closer to Kenzi while Hale and Trick tried to peer brought the darkness. Dyson, however, was having no trouble seeing what caused the disturbance. His eyes were glowing yellow and trained on a black figure standing perfectly still in the doorway of the bar. Dyson let out a low growl.

"It's an umbra." He told the group. Just a second later, Trick had procured a small oil lamp from below the bar. It cast a faint glow over the room providing a small amount of visibility. Bo stood up from her seat and squinted in the same direction as Dyson. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and the umbra gradually became visible to her.

"What do you want from Kenzi?" She asked the figure. Not getting a response, she stepped forward, in front of Dyson.

"Why are you here?" She questioned. The umbra stayed still for a moment before slowly pointing a long sharp finger in the direction of the bar.

"Trick?" Hale asked Bo, who nodded. This thing was indeed pointing at her grandfather. She just didn't know why.

"What do you want with him?" Dyson asked the black mass. Trick and the rest of the group stared at the figure waiting for an answer.

"Message." Was the gravelly whispered one word reply. Bo rolled her eyes. The creepiness of the situation was making her already queasy stomach churn.

"And what would that be?" She asked shortly, earning her a look of warning from Dyson. The umbra directed its answer at Trick, it's voice possessing a menacing undertone of warning.

"A reckoning is upon you. It is upon all of you." It spoke. Trick responded from behind the bar, voice steadier than he felt.

"What is this reckoning you speak of?" He asked. Getting nothing but silence, he fired off a different question.

"Who sends this message?" He amended.

"Soon." The umbra answered cryptically. Dyson growled low in his throat again.

"Why did you attack Kenzi?" the wolf repeated Bo's earlier question.

"Not I." The figure answered.

"Then who was it? Your cousin?" Kenzi asked from the bar. The umbra didn't respond, staying perfectly still. She rolled her eyes.

"So, what, we're all in deep fae shit? Well howdy doo, it must be Tuesday." She muttered. She could feel the fear simmering inside her at the Umbra's presence and it irked her.

"This has something to do with the new Ash, doesn't it?" Dyson asked. Again, the umbra remained silent.

"This creepshow act is cute, really, but why don't you just tell me who sent you and maybe I won't find a way to drag your shadowy ass out into the sun." Bo threatened from beside the wolf. The umbra again remained silent, angering her even further.

"Listen Nosferatu-" she began before being cut off.

"You will all _bleed_." The black mass hissed. Kenzi muttered something that sounded like 'Ew dude' while the other fae processed the shadow creature's words. Trick broke the tense silence, his voice firm and authoritative.

"Your message has been received. Now leave this bar." He demanded.

Without replying , the umbra slowly evaporated, leaving nothing but a lingering chill in the air.

"Someone get the lights." Trick requested flatly before reaching behind the bar to pull out a bottle of aged whiskey. No less than five seconds later did the entire bar light up and Dyson returned to the bar and spoke worriedly.

"This isn't good." He commented. Trick sighed. He poured himself a shot and knocked it back before setting the glass down and sighing gruffly.

"No, it's really not." He spoke softly.  
The fae around him all shared the same look of grim confusion. Kenzi just looked nauseous. Bo broke the silence.

"So...what do we do now?"

"I am going to speak with the Elders. Figure out what's happening with the Ash. Bo, you and Dyson figure out who sent the umbra to Kenzi. Hale, you're not out of a job yet. Do something and do it fast." Trick laid out the barebones plan. Bo nodded before asking about the fresh umbra visit.

"Trick, what about what the umbra said? What-" She was cut off by the door slamming open and a tall blonde walking into the bar.

"I hope you glee clubbers have some decent formal wear, 'cause the Morrigan is throwing a huge bash tomorrow night and you're all _cordially_ invited." Tamsin announced, a mysterious smile painted across her face.


	4. A Little Party Never Killed Nobody Pt I

4. "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody Part I"

* * *

"A fucking party? Really?"

Tamsin barked into her phone, her voice laced with doubt. She stood outside of the precinct, puffing on a cigarette. On the other end, lounging in a chair on her office, The Morrigan arched a meticulously shaped eyebrow at Tamsin's question.

"Yes, a party. Or do you have a better idea?" She asked the Valkyrie, leaning back in her chair with a smirk. When the detective didn't answer, Evony continued.

"Listen darling, a party is exactly what we need to get some clues about who our apocalyptic little friend is. They'll all be in the same room. Observing them will be a piece of cake. I-"

Tamsin's hard voice came through the phone, cutting her off.  
"_That's_ your master plan? Stick them all in a room with some booze and stare at them? Who the fuck elected you? That shit was rigged wasn't it?" Tamsin seethed into her phone. Her day had not gone smoothly. She had been woken up at the ass crack of dawn to be interrogated by the leader of the Dark, roped into helping Dyson assist the succubitch with her bullshit pet problem, and then unceremoniously ditched by the same wolf a couple of hours later when Trick the al-fucking-mighty had called him. Needless to say, she was irritated.

"Do calm down, detective. And let me finish. I've got a little something to help them...open up." Evony spoke.

"Like a spell? I've always preferred my fists." Tamsin bitched childishly. Evony sighed, annoyed at the Valkyrie's lack of enthusiasm. But before she could respond, Tamsin continued.

"Besides, what good is a truth spell going to do? The Wanderer doesn't even know that they're the Wanderer." She pointed out. The Morrigan smiled wide.

"It's not a truth spell, Xena. It's a drug." Tamsin furrowed her brow on be other end of the phone and tossed her cigarette to the ground.

"A drug?" She questioned quietly, extinguishing the smoke with her boot.

"A drug. It's from a fae snake in Brazil, very potent, very rare, yada yada, details details. The point is, it'll loosen them all right up. Make them more honest with each other. And more..._volatile._ If one of them is really Professor X, we'll know." She explained sultrily.  
Tamsin was quiet for a moment before she replied.

"Why are you helping me? What are you getting out of this?" She questioned flatly. The Morrigan clenched her jaw and ground out an honest reply.

"It's taken me a long time to gain the power that I have and I'll be damned if fate's fuck up takes that from me. And believe it or not, I don't want the world to end. That would mean an end to my reign and I can't have that. I won't have that." She explained. Tamsin nodded to herself, accepting the Dark Leader's answer. She then found herself smiling slyly.

"So when is this party?"

"I don't know."

Kenzi and Bo stood inside the dressing room of a department store, trying on dresses. Bo twirled in front of a mirror, studying her reflection in a tight fitting black dress. She rolled her eyes at Kenzi's lackluster commentary.

"You don't know? You're Kenzi. You call yourself the 'fashion pope.'", she made airquotes with her fingers.

"Don't tell me you don't know." She demanded playfully. Kenzi sighed dramatically and got up from the small bench she had been lounging on. She narrowed her eyes at Bo's form for a moment before shaking her head emphatically.

"Not enough skin, chica. Who are you trying to impress, Mr Rogers?" She asked teasingly. Bo opened her mouth to respond but Kenzi continued.

"If you really wanna impress the doc-and don't even argue with me because I know you do-you need to amp this bitch up." She advised sternly. Bo blushed slightly and crossed her arms.

"And what do you recommend, oh genius one?" She asked. Kenzi stroked her chin thoughtfully. Finally she nodded to herself and spoke.

"Boobs. You need to show off the boobs." She stated, as if she had just come up with a hugely original fashion concept. Bo silently mouthed 'wow' in mock awe. Kenzi rolled her eyes and smiled at her best friend.

"Let's find a real dress, babes. Something that'll give the doc a shock." She rhymed. The two veered back into the store area after Bo changed back into her own clothes.  
Looking through the racks, Kenzi arched an eyebrow and asked,

"So what's this 'party," she brought her hands up to make air quotes, "for anyway?"  
Bo glanced at her friend and shrugged.

"Didn't you hear Tamsin at the Dal? She said it was to celebrate getting a new Ash." She summarized. Kenzi rolled her eyes at that.

"The Morrigan is such an an asshole. I'm pretty sure her eyebrows are the root of all evil, not money like everyone says." She quipped. Bo smiled in response, and held a deep red dress up to her body.

"This one?" She questioned. Kenzi shook her head immediately and Bo put the dress back.

"So everyone's invited to this thing, huh? Light, Dark, the Unaligned, the Kenzi..." She trailed off. Bo just nodded.

"It's kind of odd, I know. But nothing bad will happen. Do you know what kind of that war would start?" She asked her goth friend rhetorically. Kenzi accepted Bo's answer and instead changed the subject to the elephant in the room.

Lauren.

"So Hotpants is gonna be there, huh?" She smirked when Bo blushed slightly at the mention of Lauren.

"Yeah, Kenz. She was invited." Bo replied, trying to sound casual. Kenzi's smile broadened.

"So?! What's your plan? Besides dressing like a hussy?" She asked excitedly.

_I love drama._ She thought to herself.

"A classy hussy," Bo interjected playfully.

"Right. So?" Kenzi asked impatiently.

"I...don't really know." She revealed meekly. Kenzi's head subsequently popped through the rack of dresses next to Bo's face causing the succubus to let out a small yelp of surprise.

"Excuse moi? You don't know?" She asked incredulously. Bo groaned.

"She said she needed time. I'm trying to respect that." She explained. Kenzi, head still floating between the dresses, rolled her eyes so hard it hurt.

"So, what, you're just going to do nothing? From what you told me about the doc's little speech, you need to do something. Not nothing." She spoke firmly. Bo opened her mouth to respond but Kenzi continued.

"You guys broke up because you left her on the sidelines, Bo. You fucked up. It sucks, but it happens. Just giving her time isn't going to fix anything. You need to do what you didn't do before, and that's show her that you really do care," she informed her bestie. Kenzi watched as Bo swallowed thickly and nodded.

"Alright, I get it. Can we maybe talk about something else?" She asked her friend. Kenzi saw the succubus' discomfort and conceded.

"Yeah, yeah. Just remember what I said." She told her gently. Bo just nodded and smiled in response, though it was tinged with sadness.  
It turned a bit more genuine, however, when she caught sight of Kenzi's purse. It had doubled in size since they had entered the store. She gave the smaller girl a questioning look.

"What? There's some fab shit in here," Kenzi winked.  
Bo just laughed.

...

The Next Night. 6PM.

Bo and Kenzi stood just a few feet away from their trusty Camaro, their eyes scanning the building in front of them. Kenzi looked considerably more sophisticated than usual, though the deep purple knee-length dress she had on still suited her wild personality somehow. Her hair was down and straightened, and her neck was adorned with a thin silver necklace.

Bo, on the other hand, looked even more bold than she usually did. Her dress was strapless and a dark navy color, and her eye make up dramatic. Her heels were tall, making her appear slightly taller than she actually was. Kenzi glanced at Bo and then at herself in a compact mirror from her purse. A smug smile stretched across her face.

"We look friggin' awesome, Bo-licious." She gushed to her best friend. Bo smiled widely in return, though it was more of a nervous gesture. She attempted to distract herself by observing the building they were currently standing in front of. Apparently, the celebration being held by The Morrigan was taking place in a moderately sized warehouse located in one of the few areas that were neutral between the fae. The building looked underwhelming from the outside, all boarded up and with old graffiti covering a fair amount of the walls. Bo suspected it was because humans wouldn't give the place a second glance. Though there weren't many humans in this particular part of town anyway.

Kenzi hooked her arm through Bo's and broke her mini trance.

"Let's hope it's better on the inside. And that there's a shit ton of my husband, Sailor Jerry." She spoke with a hint of excitement in her voice.

_This is like a fae prom_. The goth mused internally.

Bo took a quick deep breath and nodded to Kenzi.

"Let's do this." She mumbled a bit reluctantly. She was already beginning to feel wary of the entire thing and it hadn't even really started yet. She told herself it was because she didn't enjoy being surrounded by fae. They were all so blasé and up their own asses the majority of the time. But if she were being honest, she just really didn't want to run into Lauren. But then she did. But then again she didn't.

_My brain hurts_, she whined internally.

Keeping herself together while trying to give her (ex?)girlfriend space was hard. A lot harder than she figured it'd be. But then, she had also figured that Lauren would've come back to her by now. Or at least talked to her.  
I'm such an asshole. She thought and swallowed thickly. Her brain knew that it was perfectly rational to feel so shitty so soon after their 'break', but having to fight off tears every fucking hour on the hour was getting to her.  
Her pity party was interrupted by Kenzi's excited, and very loud, voice.

"Oh. My. God." The goth near-shouted, her eyes wide and focused on something across the room. Bo furrowed her brow and looked in the same direction.

"What?" She asked. Kenzi snapped her eyes back to Bo and uncharacteristically floundered with her response.

"Um. Nothing. Lets go get some drinks. I, for one, am just parched." She suggested quickly. Before she could even reply, Bo found herself being dragged away to the bar.

"What the hell, Kenzi?" She mumbled in slight irritation. The small girl's confusing behavior wasn't helping her nerves. But alcohol sounded great right now, so she went with it.

"This is going to be a long night," She sighed.

**...**

"Well, how is this gonna work?" Tamsin asked the woman in front of her. She wore a simple black dress with her blonde hair down and swept to one side. She appeared feminine and rather gorgeous, but still every bit as intimidating as she did on any given looked to her companion, waiting for an answer to her question.

"It's already in a few separate glasses of champagne. We just need to wait for the rest of the Avengers to get here." Evony answered flatly. She looked as she usually did. Dressed to the nines. Her backless forest green dress flowing down just above her ankles. Tamsin raised an eyebrow.

"Which ones are we waiting on?" She asked.

"The wolf and the Blood King." The Morrigan answered casually. Tamsin nodded and scanned the room for the sunshine members that were already there. She spotted Bo and her hyper little human friend standing by the bar talking to each other.

_The succubitch looks nervous_, she observed silently.

Her eyes then sifted through the large crowds of dolled up fae littering the room. She spotted Hale standing stiffly with an elder council member. It looked like the Siren was uncomfortable and it vaguely amused the Valkyrie.

_I wonder what his problem is,_ she wondered. Then she shrugged to herself because really, she didn't give a shit.  
She scanned the crowd again, seeking out a certain blonde doctor. When she didn't find her, she once again turned to Evony.

"Where's Doctor Lewis?" Tamsin questioned.

"She arrived earlier. She actually-" the Morrigan's answer was cut off by a deep voice.

"Officer Slamsin. Looking good." Dyson teased his partner. He turned to Evony.

"Morrigan." He acknowledged, his voice void of emotion. She simply smiled flirtatiously in response. Tamsin rolled her eyes at the typically formal and pointless interaction between the two. She looked her partner over. Tailored suit over a leather vest.  
_Way to switch it up, _she thought sarcastically.

"You just get here?" She asked him. He nodded in response.

"Where's the compact barkeep?" She inquired. Dyson gave her a look of disapproval at her subtle disrespect of Trick, but answered her anyway.

"He's talking to some old friends of his. He got here when I did." The wolf explained. Tamsin gave him a half assed nod, already bored of the conversation. The Morrigan picked up on it and decided that now was as good a time as any to get the show on the road.

"Come, dear. Let's get us some champagne." Evony hinted at Tamsin who only barely resisted rolling her eyes again. Really, this just felt ridiculous. But she had a job to do, and do it she would. She smiled tightly and nodded at the Dark fae leader. Dyson quirked an eyebrow but otherwise didn't show any suspicion.  
"You ladies have a good time. I'll be around, okay Tamsin?" He told his partner. She gave him an annoyed look and waved him off. He smiled teasingly at her again before walking off toward Bo and Kenzi. Tamsin turned toward the Morrigan.  
"I guess it's party time." She commented flatly.

**...**

"Woo! Party time!" Kenzi hollered before downing her fourth shot of none other than her beloved Sailor Jerry. Bo looked on and giggled at her friend. She sipped at the wine she had snagged off of a tray. Kenzi slammed down the shot glass and coughed lightly. She glanced at her succubus bestie thoughtfully.

"Hey succubum, you okay?" She asked kindly. She could see how much trouble Bo was having trying to take her mind off of the doc, and if it wasn't so sad to watch she would totally tease her about being the worlds first succubus with separation anxiety. Bo nodded.

"I'm fine. I just...can't stop thinking about Lauren. I mean, it's only been a couple days. This is normal behavior, right?" She asked Kenzi, who gave her a sympathetic look that was tinged with something Bo couldn't quite identify.

"Aw, honey. Just let it go for tonight okay? I know I said you needed to fix it, but you need to relax for a bit." Kenzi almost pleaded. Bo sighed heavily and spoke again, as if she didn't even hear Kenzi's words.

"And then there's that freakin umbra. What the hell was that? And a new Ash? And Tamsin is being kind of a creep over there in the corner and Jesus _fucking_ Christ here comes Dyson." The succubus vented in exasperation. Kenzi scanned the room quickly and found Tamsin, who was indeed being creepy and trying to subtly stare at them. Kenzi flipped her the bird inconspicuously while pretending to itch her eye. Her best friend was in no condition for this shit. Tamsin narrowed her eyes at the human. Smiling lightly to herself, Kenzi turned to Dyson who had just stopped in front of them. He gave them a warm smile, his gaze lingering on Bo a bit longer than necessary.

"You two look stunning." He complimented softly. He was still looking at Bo, who smiled back, albeit a lot less longingly.

"You look good, too. Wolfman." Kenzi told him, breaking his concentration on her friend.

"So, how is your night going? Four shots in already, Kenzi?" The wolf asked the small girl playfully. She brushed imaginary lint from her shoulder and smiled slyly.

"Open bar, muthafuckas." She explained. Dyson chuckled. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Bo cleared her throat. She felt a bit awkward around Dyson now that she knew he had his love back. She had spent a long time wanting that very thing, but over time had finally allowed herself to let him go. Now she was the one trying to be just friends. It was ironic.  
_Shitty timing is our thing, Dyson_. She thought to herself. She managed to paint a polite smile across her face.

"So, this is quite a party." She commented lamely. Kenzi just nodded while Dyson asked the bartender for a whiskey. The Scottish kind, of course. Bo groaned softly to herself. She wanted to know if Lauren was here, but was also desperately trying to think about anything else for tonight. Her inner turmoil was halted when a waiter approached the three friends with a tray of champagne flutes and spoke in a pompous and oh so very fae tone of voice.

"You are Bo, Dyson, and Kenzi, are you not?" He asked them. Bo quirked an eyebrow at him but nodded anyway.

"Yes, we are." She confirmed. He smiled a not at all genuine smile and held the tray of drinks out to them.

"Champagne, for the Ash's constituents." He told them. Kenzi shrugged and took one.

"Fancy shit is my kind of shit." She announced before sipping the light colored liquor. She hummed in approval. Bo and Dyson also accepted the drinks, and the waiter slinked away to serve others.

Across the room, the Morrigan smiled in anticipation.

**...**

On the other side of the warehouse, Trick stood among a few of his oldest fae comrades and sipped at his drink. He was trying his best to not let his discomfort show. He wasn't exactly in the mood to celebrate, let alone celebrate Hale's title being given to another. The incident at the bar also had his mind cornered. He just couldn't make sense of any of what the umbra had relayed to him.

A reckoning. It had warned him of some kind of reckoning.

_Just the thing I need._ He bitterly thought to himself.

"McCorrigan, my quiet old friend! What's on your mind?" One of his drunken buddies asked loudly, slapping him on the back rather roughly, knocking the Blood King's almost empty glass of wine from his hand and onto the floor. Trick grunted and smiled tightly at his inebriated friend. He changed the subject quickly.  
"Its nothing, Silus. How are Catherine and the kids?" He asked.

Trick finally smiled an honest smile when Silus' eyes lit up and the two long time friends lost themselves in their conversation, only diverting their attention for a moment when a certain waiter approached the two with a tray of champagne, one glass not like the others.

**...**

"Bo-dacious. You have GOT to relax, babes." Kenzi told her friend, her voice containing only a slight slur. Which was impressive given the amount of alcohol she had already consumed. She stared hard at the succubus seated at the bar.

"I am_ trying_ to. I'm just...failing." Bo responded pitifully. She took a long pull of her champagne and sighed.

"Good shit, right?" Kenzi commented on the liquor. Bo only nodded. Then she got a far away look in her eye and commented quietly.

"Lauren's more into wine."

Kenzi resisted the urge to groan, knowing that her friend was just trying to cope. But this sad and miserable version of said friend was kind of a real downer and it was beginning to kill her buzz. Knocking back the rest of the champagne, she hugged Bo from the side, ready to give yet another swear laden pep talk. Her words died in her throat when she caught sight of blonde hair only half way across the room.  
_Fuck._ She thought quickly. She released her loose hold on Bo and stood strategically in front of her bestie, trying to subtly obstruct Bo's view.  
_Distract her, shit balls._ Her brain yelled at her.

Bo furrowed her brow and tried to glance passed Kenzi, only for the goth to follow her movement.

"Kenz. I can't see." A confused Bo told her friend. Kenzi rolled her eyes.

"Pfft. See what? You've got me and an open bar. What else is there?" She joked nervously. Bo only frowned and gave her a look that said 'really?'. The succubus eyed Kenzi in suspicion. She moved to stand up.

"WAIT!" Kenzi near screamed at her, making her freeze in her seat. She looked at Kenzi incredulously.

"What? What is it?" She asked in total confusion.

_What the hell is going on right now?_ She wondered, waiting for Kenzi to answer her.

"Let's...do shots!" The smaller girl suggested quickly. She continued.

"You know, like the song? Every bodaaay." She imitated poorly, eyes wide. She smiled worriedly.  
Bo's only response was to look at her friend in complete awe. She shook her head and stood.

"I have to pee." She mumbled, still eyeing Kenzi like she was insane.  
_Shit._ Kenzi thought in defeat. She sighed and waited for what she knew was coming. This was gonna suck. And totally, completely, without a single doubt, brutally murder her buzz.

_3, 2, 1... _the goth counted down in her head.

"What in the actual fuck?!" She heard Bo yelp angrily.

_And there it is,_ she thought. Bo's voice was both hurt and surprised as she spoke loudly.

"Lauren brought a_ date_?!"


End file.
